What is the difference between HDMI and DVI and which is better?
DVI is older while HDMI is more common today.
HDMI transmits a digital video signal from a source to an HDMI compatible display, with no conversion needed. DSLM (Digital Store and Display Mandate) ensures that cables supporting downstream communications be available to any active or passive electronic device or receiver, such as a TV set. The mandate ensures interoperability and use of the same connector design across all devices for ease-of-use in Hollywood studios, for example, where engineers must quickly plug over $2 million worth of equipment together at the start of each day’s filming. DVI cables do not comply with this mandate because they are analog signals, which require expensive conversion circuitry, such as TMDS, to be used at both ends.
The HDMI website has a list of advantages vs DVI including:
- HDMI is the only cable that can carry uncompressed audio such as digital (Dolby Digital and DTS) or LPCM 7.1 audio formats
- Although there are adapters available that will allow you to connect a DVI display to an HDMI source, the adapter will not be able to do anything about signal conversion required to support analog signals such as DVI and VGA over HDMI.
- Only the latest version of HDMI (1.4a) supports 120Hz displays that use a 3D technique called Frame Packing that doubles the refresh rate (120 fps) for 3D. The earlier HDMI versions only support 60Hz displays that use the Side-by-Side (Half) and Top-and-Bottom (Half) 3D formats, which reduce the refresh rate to 30 fps.
- Only HDMI can run an Audio Return Channel over one cable . This feature allows the connected TV to send audio back to the source input for processing by AV receivers and other components.
- HDMI continues to add support for new features such as additional color spaces, stereoscopic 3D formats, frame packing for 120Hz displays, deep color support , lip-sync correction and more. These features are not backward compatible with older HDMI devices since they require the HDMI cable to support features not available in earlier versions of the specification
- Because DVI does not have audio support built-in, a separate audio connection must be used
- HDMI is a digital standard that supports copy protection for Blu-ray and other types of content distribution. Although a player can send video via a DVI connection, audio must be sent separately and is therefore not protected.
- HDMI includes Consumer Electronics Control (CEC), a feature that allows devices to control each other even if they are from different manufacturers. For example, a TV set might turn on the AV receiver upon changing to an HDMI input that controls the receiver or switch inputs automatically.
